Welcome Aboard!
by Rizzy.16
Summary: Princess Sakura Mikan was often told that she was clumsy. But now, it was officially confirmed when she fell aboard a pirate ship. Not only does she meets a rude young captain, but is turned into a slave and later must disguise herself as a boy.
1. uh oh wrong boat?

WELCOME ABOARD

* * *

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Gakuen Alice

**WARNING: **I tend to lose the characters personality and make them a little OOC but I will try to keep their personalities.

**A/N:** Keep note they have British accents... lol

**X. Summary: **Princess Sakura Mikan was always told that she was clumsy. But now, it was officially confirmed when she fell aboard a pirate ship. Not only does she meets a rude young captain, but is turned into a slave.

* * *

**X. Chapter 1:** Uh oh... wrong boat?

Princess Mikan - the one and only daughter of the King and Queen. She was a beauty! Stunning to be more specific. Many referred to her as a goddess; she has golden brown hair and beautiful brown orbs. Her face held a perfect shape, her lips were pink and plump and her smile could soften anybody's heart. Not only was she gifted with beauty, but she was also given an amazing personality. Her personality was bubbly and optimistic, not to mention absolutely caring. But, of course nobody is perfect. Mikan could be a little dense but, VERY clumsy.

There was one time, during a ball. Mikan had kept fussing about how long and puffy her dress was. For that reason, while Mikan was dancing, she had tripped over the end of her dress and had fallen on top of her partner. It caused a huge uproar; her partner had nearly died of suffocation from the dress. Ever since then, Mikan had been told she was very clumsy. More and more accidents began to occur to show her clumsiness.

x.x.x.x.

It was the beginning of a new season; spring to be more exact. Spring was one of Mikan's all time favourite season. It was the time where she could enjoy the beautiful sun, without getting to hot. She also enjoyed seeing the birds fly back from the south and loved watching the plants begin to bloom, while the kids played outside. She was so caught up about nature, she had completely forgotten about what the new season actually meant. In their land, spring was the time for love. "To blossom new love" she was often told. Every spring, many men who believed they were a good enough partner for Mikan, would try to court her until she had chosen who she loved. In the end of every spring, the result was always the same. She would always refuse to choose and make up an excuse that she was not ready or she was too young. But unfortunately for her, in the new season she was turning 18. It was the rightful age to get married in their land. Everybody was looking forward to whom she was going to choose, to sit rightfully beside her on the throne.

x.x.x.x.

A girl with a slim pink dress, sat alone in her room. She was sitting on a wooden chair by the window; staring outside and enjoying the view. She smiled; hearing the children's laughter, it had always made her day. Her room was filled with the sound of the clock; echoing throughout her spacey room. She turned her head towards the clock that was hanging loosely on the bare wall. She slowly began to make her way towards the dining room. Many maids and butlers greeted her along the way, which in return, she would greet back enthusiastically. Once she had reached the dining room; her mother and father greeted her good morning, as she took a seat across from them.

The dining room was very elegant. On the ceiling was a beautiful chandelier that brightened the entire room. The dining table was long and wooden. It had a lovely chestnut colour; it extended almost to the end of the room. The walls were an elegant red with a white border line.

"Have you met your new suitors?" Her mother suddenly asked during breakfast.

Mikan gave a confused look at first; but, her expression soon turned into a frown.

"I haven't taken a step outside the castle yet, mother" Mikan replied.

"Oh?" her mother gave a startled look.

"Knowing you, I was sure you would be outside by now" her father spoke.

"Actually, I was planning to go outside after breakfast!" she said cheerfully.

Her parents smiled at her, her cheerfulness was always the sunshine of their lives.

After breakfast, she finally had taken a step out of the castle. She headed towards the garden; it was filled with cherry blossoms and many types of colourful flowers. She twirled and skipped; her pink dress swaying along with her. She could feel the morning breeze against her fair skin and her hair was now dancing in the air; warmth and happiness began to fill her entire body.

x.x.x.x.

"Aye Captain! We'll hit land by sun down" one of the pirates reported.

"Hn..." the young man replied while staring ahead.

"Cap'n! Are we going to pillage (1) the town?" the same pirate asked.

"Aye...So prepare yourself crew!" the young man shouted loudly for the rest of the pirates to hear.

"Aye!" they shouted back.

x.x.x.x.

Throughout the day, she could have sworn she met every single man there was in the village. To her surprise, she felt as if her suitors had doubled this season. Princess Mikan lay on her bed that night; thinking over the suitors she had met that day. She was already fully aware that she had no other choice 

and had to choose a partner by the end of spring. But she refused to do so. She tried to think optimistically. She knew that spring didn't end until a few months from now. That gave her time to make a decision and possibly find a way to stop her from getting married. She sighed and began to close her eyes. She was ready to drift off to sleep until she suddenly felt her room shake. She rose from bed and she could see fire from outside her window and screaming could be heard from inside. Next thing she knew her mother barged into her room and pulled her out of the castle with only a robe and dishevelled hair. Her mom was holding onto her hand while they ran towards the dock. Her heart was rapidly pounding against her chest, she was now hyperventilating. Her mind hadn't fully absorbed the events that were happening until she noticed a hurt woman on the ground. She was begging for help; Mikan would have helped her if it weren't for her mother's tight grip. They were running so fast Mikan couldn't help but stumble. Suddenly a man and his horse ran between Mikan and her mother, causing them to let go of each other's hands. Mikan had fallen flat faced on the dirty soil. It took her all her power to try and stand up. People were still screaming and running; making it difficult for Mikan to move around. Once she noticed her mother was out of sight, she began to run frantically in hopes of finding her. She ran around the village, everything was wrecked. Mikan's favourite bakery was now trashed and her favourite park was a disaster. By the time she made it to the docks she could hear more gun fire and explosives from the village. Her father must have gathered his team to defend the village, but it was no use. From where Mikan was standing, her eyes widen at the sight. The entire village was burned, there was hardly anything left to call home.

x.x.x.x.

Mikan wandered around the dock; still no sign of her mother. She was ready to give up, until she saw a beautiful ship up ahead. Attracted to the ship, she slowly moved towards it. The ship had a dark burgundy colour and there were beautiful art carvings on the side of the ship. She gave a curious look when her eyes fell upon the words "Angel's Nest". She was about to think further about it until she was aggressively grabbed from behind and was knocked unconscious.

x.x.x.x.

It had been an hour since she had fallen unconscious. But slowly, she began to awaken. She started to notice the smell of salt water and could feel the ground rocking slightly. When she had finally opened her eyes, her heart began to race and her eyes showed the sign of fear. She was surrounded by pirates. The pirates had gathered around her, they seem to be fascinated by her. But that was no surprise. Suddenly they began to make a pathway. Her expression turned into a sign of curiosity, until her eyes lay upon a young man. He wasn't too young; she guessed he was about her age. One thing that attracted her curiosity was his eyes; it was crimson. It was unique and unusual for someone to have such an eye. The young man took a step closer towards her and Mikan moved back in return. His lips turned into a smirk and she could tell he was amused by her reaction. That smug look on his face annoyed Mikan to no end. She forced her eyes to turn into a glare. For a second; his eyes showed a glimpse of surprise, but either way turned back to that smug look.

"What's a lass like ye doin' on me ship?" The young man asked her with a threatening stare.

"I-I was searching for my mother" Mikan explained.

"Aye...well sorry to say madam, but yer mum ain't on me ship" he told her with a smirk.

Mikan began to clench her fists. Was this man trying to anger her? Then suddenly she remembered the condition of her home; the entire place was burned down.

"Were you the ones who attacked my home?!" she spat and pointed at the boy.

His face was impassive when he answered her.

"Aye..."

Mikan's eyes widen; she could feel her anger rising. She was ready to pounce on the man, and strangle him for his actions. But no... If she had done so; she would be like them. That was something she would never want to be. Instead she summoned the biggest glare she could ever give.

"I will never forgive you" her voice held venom.

The men on the ship began to chuckle.

"I will never forgive you...oh I'm so scared, I feel as if me beard will fall off" one of the pirate began to mock her.

"Belay! (2)" The young man shouted at his crew. They obeyed him and began to quietly leave.

The young man gave Mikan one last look before he left along with his crew. Once she was left alone, Mikan fell to her knees; she felt a shiver run down her spine. Her mind was now imprinted with the memory of fire and crimson eyes...

x.x.x.x.

"Cap'n do what shall we do with the girl?" a pirate asked.

The captain stared out towards the sea. Watching the land they had just pillage shrink, as they moved farther away. In honesty, he wasn't proud of what he did. But, his crew was getting reckless; they were craving for action. He turned towards the young pirate, whose eyes were filled with curiosity.

"Shark bait?" the pirate questioned.

There was hesitation before he replied with "Leave her be..." and then walked away to his private room in hopes of getting a good rest.

x.x.x.x.

* * *

(1) Pillage means to raid or rob.

(2) Belay means like shut up or stop that.

This is my first chapter! I've been working on this story for a while now...I wasn't sure if I should upload it or not, but finally I chose to put it up on fanfic

REVIEW PLEASE!


	2. Going against the captain? good or bad?

WELCOME ABOARD

* * *

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Gakuen Alice

**WARNING: **I tend to lose the characters personality and make them a little OOC but I will try to keep their personalities.

**A/N:** Keep note they have British accents... lol

**X. Summary: **Princess Sakura Mikan was always told that she was clumsy. But now, it was officially confirmed when she fell aboard a pirate ship. Not only does she meets a rude young captain, but is turned into a slave.

* * *

Hey guys! I just want to thank all those who reviewed, 15 review! yay :) I was surprised to see that people put this story on their favorites and it was only the first chapter!

Anyways! enough talk;here's the second chapter!

R&R

P.S. Should i change the title of the story?

* * *

**X. Chapter 2:** Going against the captain, good or bad?

The constant rocking of the ship was making Mikan feel awfully sick. Not to mention the size of the room she was in; it was too small and stuffy that she was beginning to feel a bit claustrophobic. Beads of sweat were beginning to form on her forehead, her skin tone was slightly green and her breathing was coming out heavy. She closed her eyes, in hopes that the next time she opened them; the walls would have stopped spinning. Her eyes were still kept closed; but, she was clearly able to sense the presence of somebody else in the room. She forced her left eye open, and peeked at the person who had walked in a while ago. She quickly closed her left eye, not wanting to talk to the visitor.

"Hmm...Landlubber (1)?" he questioned her with a smirk.

Mikan frowned.

"What's it to you?" she said rudely.

She could feel his presence move closer towards her. She groaned. Why couldn't the man leave her be? Could he not see the state she was in? By the way she was talking to him; it was clearly obvious that she was not in the mood to speak to anybody.

"Fresh air always works..." he told her.

She finally opened both her eyes and stared at the man before her. His was face was unreadable. Mikan looked at him suspiciously, was this man luring her to a trap? A part of her was screaming for fresh air; while the other half was keeping her back, telling her not to trust the man.

"Why should I listen to you?" she glared.

His eyes became stern.

"You're right... ye shouldn't listen t'me. We pillaged yer land, course ye would hate us. But let me tell ye, yer lucky I haven't made ye walk the plank yet" he told her in a serious tone. She started at him with awe. He slowly stood up, and was about to leave the room until...

"Wait!" Mikan shouted.

x.x.x.x.

In the end, her stubborn self had lost. He began to lead the way, guiding her through the ship. As she slowly followed him, she used the walls for balance; afraid that she would fall down without support. Her head was down and her eyes were half opened. Her breathing had gotten even heavier, and she never felt so weak in her entire life. The next thing she knew, she could feel something cool slap itself against her skin. Her hair gotten even messier than before and the smell of salt water were even stronger. She breathed in the ocean air and closed her eyes; her breathing was beginning to become steady again and her skin was back to its usual colour. Not too long after, her sickness began to subside.

"Cap'n! Cap'n!" She turned her head towards the boy shouting. The boy approached them, with a big smile on his face. While the two began to talk privately, Mikan was left alone to think to herself. She stared at the young man; who she recently discovered was captain. She was still in shock of what happened back home and she still haven't forgiven them for what they have done. She didn't even know why she was aboard this ship in the first place. There were so many questions that were left unanswered.

She began to walk towards the side of the ship, leaning on the ledge; she stared out towards the sea. There was no sign of land anywhere and she doubt they would hit land anytime soon. She frowned; another headache was beginning to arise.

x.x.x.x.

Unfortunately, Mikan was sent back to the tiny room. She hadn't realized it before, but in the corner of the room was a small bed. She took a seat on the edge of the bed, wrinkling the white bed sheet. After a while her stomach began to give off signs of hunger. Looking around the room she noticed a plate of food that was left on a wooden table by the door. She stood up and approached the plate of food consisting of a loaf of bread and chicken soup. Holding the plate near her nose, she began to sniff it. She took another look at it, taking her index finger, she lightly poked at the food. The soup was still warm but the bread was cold and dry. At the moment she couldn't care less, she quickly began to eat the food. Not too long after, Mikan's eyes began to feel heavy. Her body swayed as she walked towards the tiny bed. She was unconscious ...yet again.

x.x.x.x.

The sun peeked through the tiny circular window, facing the bed. Mikan groaned, as she began to awaken. Right as she chose to open her eyes, the young pirate she had seen yesterday, entered her room. Just as she had seen him yesterday, he greeted her with a bright smile. She found it unusual; this boy seemed young as well. She continued to study him, his face looked so bright and innocent, and it was very difficult to tell that he was a pirate. Though, his outfit did give off some vibes that he was.

"Ahoy! My name be Koko" he greeted.

"Tis time t' do yer chores!" he told her.

"Chores?" Mikan furrowed her brow.

"Aye, Captain's orders! He said if ye refuse, ye will walk the plank" he said loudly.

Mikan's eyes began to widen, when he revealed a bucket and mop.

"Time to swab the deck!" he grinned.

x.x.x.x.

So there she was, swabbing the deck.

They had given her an outfit to wear. It was ripped pants, with a fabric she could not recognize. The colour was blue and red along with her brown tattered shirt. To complete the look, they had even given her a bandanna, to keep her hair out of her face. Mikan used the back of her hand, to wipe away the sweat, which was beginning to form on her forehead. The sun was no help at all and neither was the movement of the ship. The bucket filled with water, continued to move left and right, along with the direction the ship rocked. But what bothered her more, was how the other pirates would make fun of her challenged self. Of course she knew she looked retarded whenever she needed to chase the bucket across the deck. They didn't need to rub it in even more.

Finally, after what felt like centuries. Mikan finally finished swabbing the deck. In the end, it wasn't as bad as she thought. It was quite refreshing and she enjoyed the feeling of accomplishment. She looked around, trying to see if Koko was near.

"Hn...I expected worse" she heard a voice whisper into her ear from behind. She felt her heart skip a beat, quickly turning around she faced the man. As usual his face held a small smirk; but, his eyes were blank, just as she had first seen him.

"You're just the man I wanted to talk to" she told him sternly.

He lifted his left brow and stared at her with curiosity.

"Aye...?"

"What is this?" she asked him.

He gave her a bored look. It seemed as if he was signaling to her, that her question already had an obvious answer; which it did. But of course, Mikan being the dense person she is couldn't tell.

"Ye can't expect me t'keep ye in that room do ye? He told her.

Mikan furrowed her brow, not understanding his answer.

"Since ye went on me ship without me permission, yer now me slave" he told her bluntly.

Mikan's eyes widened. Her breathing and her heart all went to a stop.

"Y-you...you can't be serious" Mikan told him with disbelief.

"What I'm sayin' be th' truth" his told her with a cold tone.

Mikan's jaw and fist began to tighten. Her brows were furrowed with anger.

"I will never be your slave!" she shouted at him; catching the attention of the other men on ship.

"You listen here! So what if you're a pirate? You don't scare me!" she continued. She could hear chuckles from the other pirates; angering her even more.

He stared at her with an impassive face. His face was so unreadable that Mikan was starting to regret what she said. Mikan's tough exterior was slowly fading away as he continued to stare at her. If looks could kill...she would have been most likely dead by now. Her throat was beginning to go dry and her hands were trembling with fear for what was to come. The silence was deafening and even the other pirates had silenced. It felt as if it was just him and her, silence and darkness was beginning to consume everything. Her heart beat was rapidly beating, so loud that she could no longer hear her breathing.

"Do as ye wish..." he told her, his voice sending chills down her spine.

He turned around and began to walk away. But then he stopped, turned his head and looked at her one more time.

"I'll give ye another chance, either walk the plank or follow me orders"

"If ye cherish yer life, I would pick th' latter" he said then walked away.

* * *

(1) a person who prefers land over water.

I'm really sorry if the chapter is too short, i'm trying my best to lengthen them :)

anyways please please review!!


	3. Land Ho

WELCOME ABOARD

* * *

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Gakuen Alice

**WARNING: **I tend to lose the characters personality and make them a little OOC but I will try to keep their personalities.

**A/N:** Keep note they have British accents... lol

**

* * *

X. Summary: **Princess Sakura Mikan was always told that she was clumsy. But now, it was officially confirmed when she fell aboard a pirate ship. Not only does she meets a rude young captain, but is turned into a slave.

**

* * *

X. Chapter 3: Land Ho**

"Search for her now! Who knows what's happened to her..." the angered man slammed his fist against his desk.

All the men surrounding his desk stared at him with fright. The poor man was tired and stressed; for his one and only daughter was missing. His eyes glanced at his wife, who was still terrified about the events that had occurred not too long ago. He could still remember how many people he had lost during the pillage. He clenched his jaw and balled his fists.

"It's my entire fault that our daughter is missing. I should have put you both somewhere safe first...Yuka, will you ever forgive me" he said in a sad tone.

The woman stayed still. She stared out through the glass window; her fingers lightly touching the glass. She stared down at her feet, sadness taking over her, yet again.

The man was about to continue asking for forgiveness; but, was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Come in" the man spoke loudly.

A young man entered the room. He approached them with a slight smile and removed his hat from his head.

"Hello" he greeted them and did a slight bow.

"And you are?" the man stared at the young man curiously.

The young man's mouth turned into a smirk.

"The one who will find your daughter"

x.x.x.x.

After Mikan had shouted at the captain, she was forcibly sent back to the room which she hated the most. She glared at the guard who stood in front of her door. She was absolutely outraged. She crossed her arms, furrowed her brow and pouted. She continued to stare at the door angrily, until somebody she had never seen before, entered.

"If ye continue to do that, yer face will get wrinkles" a girl said monotonously.

Mikan quickly relaxed her face and stared down, embarrassed. The girl had short raven hair with purple eyes. Mikan had thought she was the only girl on the ship. But, surprisingly she wasn't. The girl approached her with a tray of food. It consisted of the same food she had eaten last time, chicken soup and a loaf of bread. Mikan was beginning to wonder if that was the only thing they knew how to cook. Mikan kindly took the food and began to eat. The girl continued to stand there, staring at her, with unreadable eyes. It was making Mikan feel very self conscience and uncomfortable, that is, until Mikan began to feel drowsy. Her body began to sway side to side, trying to fight the sleepiness. Her eyes were half opened and her vision was slowly going blurry. She could feel the tray of food on her lap being removed; the last thing she saw was the unknown girl and the captain standing behind her.

"Hotaru, I see ye put her to sleep..." he whispered behind her.

"Aye...I don't understand why ye choose to keep her" she told him. He stared at the sleeping girl in front of him.

"Hn" was all she got as a reply before she walked passed him and out the door.

x.x.x.x.

"You know where our daughter is?" a glimpse of hope passed through the man's eyes.

"Maybe; but, don't worry... I'll find her" he told them.

The man suddenly felt suspicious. He eyed the young man standing in front of him.

"But of course...I would like something in return." The young man smirked.

"In return?" the older man gave a confused look.

"In return...you'll let me marry your daughter"

x.x.x.x.

"Land Ho!"

The shouting was causing Mikan to slowly awaken from her slumber.

"What?" she said through her drowsiness.

"Land Ho!" another shout was heard.

Mikan's eyes snapped open and she quickly became alert.

"Land!" she shouted as she ran to the circular window in her room. She tip toed and peeked out.

"It really is land!" she said excitedly. The ship was approaching the land quickly. She was about to run out the door when somebody beat her to it.

"Where ye off to?" he asked.

"Land!" she shouted at him excitedly.

"Aye...what's it to ye?" the captain questioned.

"You...you're going to at least let me off the ship right?" she stared at him with anxious eyes.

"Hmm...I suppose, but ye need to fix something" he told her.

"Eh?"

x.x.x.x.

"Oh! Did you hear? Captain Natsume is back!" a group of girls began to gather around.

"Oh my! It's been so long, I wonder if he will talk to me this time" a girl said excitedly

"Well...I'm sorry honey, but there's a line up" one girl told her.

"What did you just say?" the girls were so busy arguing they didn't notice Captain Natsume walk pass them.

Captain Natsume walked into a good looking bar and sat down at the tables at the corner of the room. Everybody cheered "Captain Natsume! Welcome Back!" to him as he passed by people. Then suddenly there eyes moved to a short man...or was it a man? That was following close behind him.

**FLASHBACK **

"Fix something?" Mikan questioned.

"Aye...I need ye to disguise yourself as a boy. I'm sure ye could do that can't ye ?"

"W-what? A boy? Why?"

"Well..." Natsume started to touch Mikan's cheek which slowly made its way down to her neck and stopping at her chest. Mikan stiffened against his touch.

" I don't think ye would want yourself to get raped now would ye?" He asked mischievously.

"NO!" Mikan shouted with a terrified tone causing Natsume to chuckle. He took his finger away from her body and placed it back to his side.

"Then...as soon as ye get your behind off this ship, ye will be a boy. Yer name musn't be told to anybody, ye hear?" Natsume said sternly.

"Y-yes!" Mikan stuttered.

**END OF FLASHBACK **

"Oh Captain Natsume~ Who is this lil lad you have here?" The ladies eyed Mikan down like she was a piece of meat.

"Tis me helper" Natsume said to them while taking a drink of alcohol.

Mikan was wearing clothes that were quite similar to the other men on the ship. Her pants were brown; she wore an old looking white shirt with a black vest on top and black boots that was too big for her. Along with a red bandana and black hat that helped hide her long hair. Taking a seat beside Natsume, she sat awkwardly and stared around the bar. They were mostly old men drinking and playing around while upstairs of the bar were ladies all dressed up who were busy flirting towards the young men.

"Why isn't he cute" one of the girls said while giving her a kiss on the cheek. Mikan stiffened.

"Oh~ your gonna scare him" one of the other ladies said taking the other seat beside Mikan. Mikan gave a worried glance to Natsume who ignored her and continued to drink.

"What's your name little boy?" a girl on her left asked. Before Mikan answered, she recalled Natsume telling her how she wasn't allowed to say her name, so she made one up.

"Jack" She said randomly.

"Jack? Why...thats quite a name. Isn't it, girls?" She said giggling.

Mikan forced a smile and looked towards Natsume again who gave her a smirk in return. She assumed he was pleased that she didn't reveal her true name to them.

"Cap'n!" Koko shouted

"We found ye a place to stay for the night " the man smiled.

Natsume stood up and grabbed Mikan's hand pulling her away from the two ladies who were about to devour her.

"Let's head out" he said not even saying a goodbye to the ladies at the table.

x.x.x.x.

"So, how is it Cap'n? It's a pretty neat place ain't it?" Koko questioned.

Natsume stood at the door and observed the room. There was a queen sized bed in the middle of the room that was made out of wood and a soft mattress on top. The bed consisted of 2 white pillows and golden bed sheets. The room was quite spacious, it was mainly all wooden. In the far right there was a door which Natsume assumed led to the washroom and 2 windows that gave a nice view of the dock.

"Well done Koko" Natsume praised.

"Where will the crew be stayin? I'm sure we'ave enough doubloons (1 ) for all of ye"

Koko smiled. " Don't worry Cap'n!, we'll be fine"

"I see..." Natsume took a seat down on a ledge by the window. Mikan stood in the room awkwardly, not knowing whether to follow Koko out the door or to stay with Natsume.

"Where will...I be staying?" Mikan asked timidly.

Natsume turned away from the window to Mikan.

"Yer stayin' wit me" he told her.

"Eh? But...there's only one bed" Mikan protested.

He started at her sternly. "So? Would ya rather stay in a room wit a crew of men or just one?" he questioned.

Mikan looked down.

"J-just one..." she stuttered causing Natsume to chuckle.

Natsume walked towards Mikan, leaning forward he whispered into her ear. " Don't even think of escaping, ye hear?" Mikan felt shivers run down her spine, she quickly nodded her head.

x.x.x.x.

"W-what are you saying?" The man asked in an offended tone causing the young man to chuckle.

"That's my request...However the first priority is to find the princess" The young man gave a determined look.

Yuka finally turned away from the window and looked towards the young man giving him a strong look. She eyed him from head to toe. He had long bluish black hair that fell over his eyes and his ear, causing his piercing in the left to be hidden. His eyes were a purple bluish colour and just beneath his left eye was a star tattoo.

"You better find our daughter." It was the first time Yuka talked ever since the incident.

"What is your name?" The man asked.

"Tsubasa Andou" he smiled.

Yuka and her husband gave each other a look and started back at the young man.

"Do what you can to find my daughter; I will give you as many men as you need."

"That would be helpful, well...i'm off" Tsubasa said while placing his hat back on his head and doing a slight head nod before leaving the room.

x.x.x.x.

(1) Doubloons : mean money.

* * *

R&R ^^ pleasee


	4. Hidden Treasure

WELCOME ABOARD

* * *

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Gakuen Alice

**WARNING: **I tend to lose the characters personality and make them a little OOC but I will try to keep their personalities.

**A/N:** Keep note they have British accents... lol

* * *

**X. Summary: **Princess Sakura Mikan was always told that she was clumsy. But now, it was officially confirmed when she fell aboard a pirate ship. Not only does she meets a rude young captain, but is turned into a slave.

* * *

**X. Chapter 4: Hidden Treasure**

"We're headed for a journey! To find the princess! Are you all with me?" Tsubasa shouted getting the crew energized.

"YES SIR!" they replied.

"Let's Sail!" Tsubasa shouted. A grin formed on his face as he looked ahead towards the ocean.

x.x.x.x.

Mikan was petrified. It was her first time ever sharing a bed with a man, even the thought of sharing a bed before marriage was inexcusable, absolutely outrageous. But it seemed like it was only Mikan who cared at all about the sleeping arrangement. Natsume could care less about what Mikan thought, she was, after all just a measly slave to him. At least that's what she assumed...

"Do ye plan on sleepin' on the cold floor?" he questioned her. Natsume was already in bed, under the golden sheets, wearing nothing else but shorts. Mikan couldn't help but blush; it was awkward enough having to share a bed but him being half naked had made it even worse. Mikan continued to stand at the right side of the bed. She was debating whether to sleep on the ground or on the bed. She felt disgusted from the idea of having to sleep with a pirate. She glanced at Natsume's face; his face was impassive.

"Yer me slave are ye not? I'm orderin ye to sleep on the bed"

"B-but why? I'm just a slave like you said, don't you think your treating me to kindly?" she answered.

"Yer a strange girl, i'm bein' kind...aye, so shouldn't you take advantage of that?" he questioned.

Mikan looked at Natsume's face sternly. She couldn't comprehend whether he was holding ill intentions or not. But exhaustion was slowly building up on her body, she felt as if she could no longer stay conscience. After a few minutes, Mikan ended up forcing herself into the bed.' Mother...father...forgive me for sleeping with a man before marriage' she thought innocently. She then settled herself near the edge of the queen-sized bed, to make sure there was a large gap between herself and the pirate. As soon as Mikan's head fell against the soft mattress she was fast asleep. Eventually, Natsume was also slowly falling asleep from waiting upon Mikan to lie down. But when he turned over to Mikan, he noticed she was soon ready to fall off. Half asleep, He pulled Mikan's body closer to the middle and wrapped his arms around her tiny waist before soundly falling asleep.

x.x.x.x.

'It feels warm...what is this? It's so comfortable' she unconsciously thought and cuddled closer to the hard yet comfortable object. Suddenly she furrowed her brows when understanding returned to her. 'Wait...what happened last night?' she questioned to herself. She then became aware that the object she was cuddling with, was without a doubt, breathing. 'Strange...' she thought. She then noticed the object began grunting and mumbling incoherent words. This further made her question. 'What?' she thought. Finally, she forced open her left eye to see what this so called 'object' was.

She stiffened. 'Oh Dear God...' Her heart and brain stopped for a second before resuming normally once again.

'What the...what does he think he's doing' Anger began to boil in Mikan and the shock that had hit her moments ago was dispersing. As she tried to get out of the wicked pirates grasp she became aware of his arms that were wrapped tightly around her waist and his legs that were tangled among hers. His face was only inches away from her own, she blushed. She hated to admit it but she was stuck...

"It was my cursed clumsiness that brought me here...Damn you" she cursed under her breath. Taking deep breaths she tried to remove his arms away from her waist, but no luck. As soon as she would remove his arm it would return as if her waist and his arm were magnets. Taking another deep breath, she decided to wake up the sleeping pirate.

"Captain..." she called out quietly however Natsume continued to sleep soundly.

"Captain" she called out a little more loudly than before, still he continued to sleep. Mikan was losing her patience, taking a deep breath she was ready to shout out his name.

"CAPTA-" before she could finished she was cut off by Koko who barged inside the room.

"CAP'N!" he shouted, Natsume's eyes quickly snapped open.

"Wat is it?" he grumbled under his breath, it was noticeable he was still lacking sleep. Koko did not notice the Captain's mood, however he did notice the arm that was wrapped around Mikan.

"Oh Cap'n...were ye up late doing something naughty?" Koko asked innocently. Mikan's mouth gaped open and her face was soon red as a tomato. Natsume however was busy scratching his eyes trying get rid of his sleepiness.

"Koko..." Natsume grumbled tiredly.

"Ah right, Ruka is on his way here, Cap'n!" After hearing the name Ruka, Natsume was soon wide awake, removing his arm from Mikan's waist, Natsume got out of bed and went straight to the washroom leaving Mikan gaping on the bed alone. Koko left soon after Natsume went into the washroom.

Not too long after, Natsume came out of the washroom, freshly dressed. ( A/N: not sure how to describe him, just picture jack sparrow's cothes but black and red LOL ) Turning over to Mikan he questioned.

"Do ye plan on stayin' there all day?"

Mikan looked up at him. "No...but exactly what am I supposed to do?"

"Just dress up as a boy and follow me" he answered sternly.

Mikan glared at him before getting up from the bed. Quickly, she took her clothes that was lying on a table and went into the washroom. As soon as she entered she looked into the mirror. She noticed her eyes had dark circles underneath and her hair felt and looked disgusting. She couldn't even remember when her last bath was. Quickly, she dipped her head under the sink faucet and began rinsing her hair and her face. Knowing that Natsume was waiting outside, she hastily dressed up and opened the door to be greeted by an impatient Captain.

Mikan gulped. "Sorry" she mumbled while walking past him. Natsume stayed silent and began walking out the room, expecting Mikan to follow him closely.

x.x.x.x.

Closely behind, Mikan followed Natsume out of the inn and into the streets. Mikan was curious as to where they were headed. She began to recall what Koko had said back in the inn.

'Ruka? Who is that?' she thought to herself.

"'We're here" Natsume said. Getting rid of her thoughts, Mikan looked up and noticed they were back at the dock. From afar, a ship was heading towards them.

"There he is..." Natsume mumbled. Mikan titled her head slightly in confusion.

"Who is coming?" she questioned him. Natsume didn't turn to look at her but answered "Somebody...remember, yer a boy" Natsume reminded her.

Mikan rolled her eyes. Finally the ship arrived at the dock and a man with blonde hair and blue eyes stepped off the ship first.

"Natsume!" he shouted from afar. Mikan looked at him. His face was so elegant; she couldn't comprehend how this man could be friends with this pirate.

"Ruka" Natsume smirked upon seeing the man. "Wow, Natsume, it's been a while" Ruka smiled as his eyes moved towards Mikan.

"Ah, ahoy, I don't think we've met before" Ruka greeted.

"Ah, Nice to mee-" Before Mikan could finish, Natsume stepped in front of Mikan, to hide her away behind him.

"Hey! Natsume, what ye doin?" Ruka questioned and pushed Natsume aside.

"Me name is Ruka" Ruka took out his hand towards Mikan.

"My name is ...um Jack" Mikan said while taking out her hand as well to handshake with Ruka.

"Tis me helper" Natsume said as he pushed his way back in between them again. Mikan frowned.

"Ah...I see" Ruka answered while glancing at Mikan.

Soon after, Natsume and Ruka began chatting away leaving Mikan to be the third wheel. However there were times when Ruka would sneak in a conversation for Mikan to join in as well. But Natsume would quickly shun out Mikan. The three of them went into a bar that was near by the dock to have breakfast. But while they were eating they began to discus something about treasure which quickly caught Mikan's attention. 'treasure?' she thought to herself. While Ruka was travelling, he had gathered information about the hidden treasure.

"All the other pirate crews are talkin about a treasure. Apparantly, ages ago, a treasure was hidden away in mermaid's cove" Ruka said.

"Mermaid's cove?" Natsume said.

"Aye...though nobody's ever made it out alive" Ruka replied.

Mikan began to burn with curiosity. Suddenly she spoke up. "Why is that?" she asked. Both men turned to her. "Ah...well, they say that there are beautiful mermaids that make men fall in love with them but in the end they eat them alive"

"Are they really that beautiful?" Mikan asked, fascinated by the idea.

"Well, so they say. Only one man was able to get out alive and tell the story" Ruka answered.

"Aye...but the man was crazy" Natsume spoke up. Ruka chuckled.

"Can...I hear more about these mermaids?" Mikan questioned. Ruka smiled, he was very amused by Mikan's curiosity.

"Yer funny a boy" Ruka teased.

Mikan blushed. Mikan would always hear about beautiful mermaids in fairytales. It was the stories that her parents would often read to her before she went to sleep, but she never heard of them eating humans. She had always believed that they were loveable creatures.

"Well, they say that they use not only their beauty, but their voice as well t'capture men"

"Eh...voice? as in...singing?"

"Aye...their voice is so beautiful that'll put ya into a hypnosis sorta thing" Mikan gasped causing another chuckle from Ruka. Natsume on the other hand stared bored at the both of them.

"Aye aye, that's enough Ruka, there's no such thing as mermaids" Natsume said arrogantly.

"And how would ye be sure of that, Natsume?" Ruka questioned.

"Simple, I haven't lived to see one" Natsume replied.

"Yer stubborn as always" Ruka chuckled.

"Back to the treasure business...lets search for it" Natsume suggested.

"Eh? Are ye serious Natsume? It's dangerous" Ruka asked shocked.

"We're pirates Ruka, hunting down treasure is what we pirates do for a living"

"Hmm...well, knowing ye...yer determined to find this treasure" Ruka replied although he was feeling uneasy.

x.x.x.x.

"In two days, we're off to Mermaid's Cove to discover the hidden treasure!" Natsume shouted loud enough for his and Ruka's crew to hear. It was decided that both Ruka and Natsume's crew would combine for the journey.

"Quickly use this time to restock on supplies and rest plenty! It's going t'be a long journey!"

x.x.x.x.

"Sir! one lady said a pirate named Ruka recently stopped over on this island, but he left two days ago" one of the men notified.

"Tsk. Do you know where he headed to? " Tsubasa questioned.

"Yes Sir, it's a nearby Island" he replied.

"How long does it take to get there?" Tsubasa questioned.

"About 2 days sir!"

"Then let's quickly get a move on" Tsubasa instructed.

* * *

R&R

Read and Review :)


	5. Forgive and Forget

WELCOME ABOARD

* * *

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Gakuen Alice

**WARNING: **I tend to lose the characters personality and make them a little OOC but I will try to keep their personalities.

**A/N:** Keep note they have British accents... lol

**X. Summary: **Princess Sakura Mikan was always told that she was clumsy. But now, it was officially confirmed when she fell aboard a pirate ship. Not only does she meets a rude young captain, but is turned into a slave.

* * *

**X. Chapter 5: Forgive and Forget **

Her skin would radiate against the sun while she closed her eyes to take a deep breath of fresh air. The smell of salt water was now a familiar scent just as the rocking of the ship became a familiar motion. Within just a few hours since they're departure, Mikan realized that she had adapted to the sea life and was no longer prone to sea sickness. She still however, held anger towards the pirates and she was indeed worried sick for her family and people back home. What was even more worrying was the fact that the Captain held no signs of letting her go.

Exactly a day and a half since the beginning of their journey – just as he had promised – she was treated as a slave. She was forced to swab the deck, count the inventory, and clean his private cabin. The Captain would watch her like a hawk, making sure she had no time to think of a plan of escape. 'As if I could escape anyways' she thought to herself.

"Jack! Me deck is still not clean to me liking" Natsume shouted from the poop deck. Mikan rolled her eyes but got back to swabbing the deck anyways. Now that Ruka was part of the journey, Mikan was forced to keep playing her role as a boy. 'If my parents saw me now…' she thought. ' I'm sure they would ask me why I was dressed up in this attire…better yet why I'm here in the first place' Her heart clenched, she was feeling very homesick and seeing nothing but water…water and more water, wasn't helping at all. Thankfully enough, whenever Natsume was busy doing something else, Ruka would come over and talk to her more about the mermaids.

From what she gathered, mermaids lived in an area called mermaid's cove and that they were undeniably beautiful. They would use their singing voices as a trap to lure them closer and place the victim in an hypnosis. Lastly, she learned that these so called 'mermaids' would eat any victim that would fall for their trap. But according to Natsume, he would say it was bull and just a myth so that pirates wouldn't go near the treasure.

"Land Ho! Land Ho! Cap'n!" Koko shouted from the tower. Mikan ran to the side of the ship and pushed her head out to the side. Indeed, land was nearby and they were approaching it very quickly.

x.x.x.x.

Once the ship was set up at the dock, Natsume quickly whispered to Koko "keep an eye on her" before leaving the ship with Ruka.

"Valerast(1)? this is where the old man be stayin'?" Natsume questioned Ruka with obvious distrust.

"Aye… that's wha' i heard" Ruka said as they walked through the streets of Valerast. They decided on asking around the pubs, knowing the man, he was most likely known in those kind of areas of town.

About a 10 minute walk from the dock they found a nearby pub. Ruka leading the way and Natsume walking closely behind, they entered the unfamiliar building. It was very dark inside, but Natsume was able to observe the lack of customers, 4-5 people including the bartender. Ruka walked straight towards the bar, deciding it was best to ask the bartender.

"Ahoy, were lookin for – " before he could finish his sentence, Ruka was cut off.

"lookin for me?" A man with blonde wavy – almost shoulder length – hair and dark blue eyes approached them with a smile.

"Narumi!" Ruka smiled.

"old man..." Natsume stared at him blankly.

X.x.x.x

Ever since Natsume left along with Ruka, Mikan thought it was finally her chance to escape. But Natsume was always a step ahead, Mikan noticed how everywhere she went Koko would be on her trail and eying her closely than ever.

In the end, Mikan decided the timing wasn't good and was better off waiting for Natsume to return. Finally settling herself at the poop deck -with Koko close behind- she had a very good view of the whole town from the dock.

"Koko...is this mermaid's cove?" Mikan asked. Koko chuckled. "course not, this here be Valerast"

"Valerast? Its a nice place." Mikan said while she continued to stare at awe. There were many buildings and seemed very highly developed. 'A rich country' she thought.

"what are we doing here then?"

"we're here to pickup Cap'n Narumi" Mikan ears twitched at the unfamiliar name.

"who would that be?"

"he used to be a captain, very highly respected, and the only survivor from mermaid's cove"

"ah! he's the one Ruka talked about, the only one who came back alive?"

"aye...since hes the only one who came back people thought he led his crew to death"

x.x.x.x.

"yer interested in mermaid's cove aren't ye?" Narumi asked his tone matching the serious expression on his face. They decided to take a seat at a table in the far corner, away from any possible eavesdroppers.

"we wanted to ask you to come with" Ruka told him.

Narumi shook his head "sorry but no thanks"

"but if we had ye along Narumi, we would most likely be successful" Ruka said, trying to convince the man

"i was lucky enough to come out alive, im not going back, if ye were smart yer better off not going"

"hmph" natsume snorted.

"do ye plan on staying as a landlubber now?"

"if me life is safe here, so be it"

Natsume's eyes turned dark "hypocrite, let's go Ruka, this was a waste of our time" he said then slamming his hand in the table as he stood up, catching the eyes of the other customers.

Natsume began walking out of the pub angrily.

"wait Natsume!" Ruka shouted before turning back to Narumi " we'll be back,think about it longer"

x.x.x.x.

"Natsume!" Ruka shouted as he tried to catch up to Natsume, who was already half way to the dock. Finally catching up "Natsume... we need to convince him, we cant leave without him, it will be a lot more reassuring knowin' he's coming"

Natsume was trying to contain his anger.

"Natsume...i know it's fustrating...but let us stay the night and try again early tomorrow"

"hn" Natsume grunted.

x.x.x.x.

"Cap'n your back!" Koko and the rest of the crew welcomed him back enthusiastically. Natsume brushed off the greetings, not even giving a glance to Mikan. He walked straight into his private cabin, slamming the door behind him. Everybody on the ship went silent and the mood suddenly went tense.

Even Mikan was not sure how to respond and stayed rooted by Koko's side. Ruka sighed and touched the bridge of his nose, he could feel a headache coming on.

"we'll be staying the night...so go ahead and rest up early" Ruka said before following Natsume.

"Koko..." Mikan silently called out. Koko turned towards her. "i'll send ye back to yer room" He said.

x.x.x.x

Mikan sat at the edge of her bed watching Koko lock the door of her room through the door window. Mikan wasn't sure what to do. She pondered on Natsume's attitude and why he responded that way. 'He really is scary' she thought.

But soon enough she drifted off to sleep.

x.x.x.x

When Ruka walked in, Natsume was already undressed and was sitting at his desk, studying the contents of his map. Ruka sighed and took a step towards the desk, sitting on a free chair on the side. "Natsume, ye shouldn't treat your crew like that" he scolded. Natsume continued to stay silent. But Ruka pressed on " I know how ye feel, yer not the only one"

FLASHBACK (8 years ago)

"Where ye going Narumi?!" 11year old Ruka and Natsume shouted in unison.

Narumi smiled as he patted both their heads.

"I'm off to look for yer parents...I promise, ill bring them back" Narumi told them with a grin.

"hn" Natsume replied. "ye better come back old man"

"again with the old man Natsume? im only 20!" Narumi laughed outloud.

"when will ye be back?" Ruka asked sadly.

"ill be back soon enough"

"when ye come back, let's go on an adventure together" Ruka smiled.

"haha" Narumi laughed one last time and then bid goodbye.

END OF FLASHBACK

"after 7 years...we finally hear from him and -" before Ruka could continue "he's gone mad" Natsume cut off.

"Natsume...ever since our parents went off on their journey, when they didn't come back...Narumi wanted to find them for us. He did nothing wrong"

"Dammit, i know!" Natsume shouted. He was very fustrated but so was Ruka.

"why are ye so mad?" Ruka asked quietly.

"...he would say how much he loved the sea and nothing would stop him. that someday we could go on a journey together... but he never came back just like our parents. we thought he was dead...then 7 years later we find out he's still alive. "

Ruka sighed. He now understood the feelings of Natsume...betrayal. It was just like the time when their parents left for their journey, they promised they would come back. Natsume and Ruka waited every day, hoping to one day see a familiar ship approach the dock. But it never came...after experiencing it twice, Natsume's heart turned cold and his trust towards people never came back.

"Natsume...nobody is perfect, I thought Narumi was the best pirate out there. But we were just kids, clinging onto a person since our parents were gone"

"Give him another chance..." Ruka said before walking out.

x.x.x.x

(1) just a fictional place, something I made up.

* * *

**HEY GUYS, long time no read...I stopped going on fanfic for 2 years now, but i would still get reviews every now and then. So thank you very much since that really pushed me to come back and finish my stories :) This chapter isn't as long as I thought it would be, but I plan on updating again later this week so keep an eye out ~ **

**PLEASE REVIEW! ~ Push me to keep writing ...unless i get writer's block ( I hope not... :/)  
**


	6. So They Do Exist

WELCOME ABOARD

* * *

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Gakuen Alice

**WARNING: **I tend to lose the characters personality and make them a little OOC but I will try to keep their personalities.

**A/N:** Keep note they have British accents... lol

**X. Summary: **Princess Sakura Mikan was always told that she was clumsy. But now, it was officially confirmed when she fell aboard a pirate ship. Not only does she meets a rude young captain, but is turned into a slave and eventually must disguise herself as a boy.

* * *

**X. Chapter 6: So They Do Exist **

Ruka and Natsume grew up together in a town called Coralridge (1). It was a common place for pirates to come and go. "A pirate town" people from other countries would call it. Ruka and his parents were very close friends and had a very well known reputation-even among other countries-. Finding treasures was something they did best at and everybody in Coralridge knew about it.

He could still remember the first time he went on a ship. He was 8 years old then, but the memory was still vivid as if it was just yesterday. His parents had to trade goods in a neighboring country, and since the destination wasn't far, he was able to tag along. Just the feeling of stepping foot on a ship was enough to make his heart jump out of his chest. His excitement was on full blast and the feeling was much more than he imagined it to be. His parents even showed him how to work the sails and how to control the ship. At one point, his father had hoisted him up onto his broad shoulders. When he opened his eyes to take a good look, his mouth opened wide at the view. The view was beautiful; the dark blue sea covered the entire horizon along with an orange hue that spread across the entire sky. The view of the sun rise was enough to take his breath away. Since then, he knew, he wanted to be a pirate just like his parents and that someday he would go on a big journey with them.

But then 'that' happened...(3 years later)

It had been a little less than 2 months since their parents left for their journey. Ruka and Natsume would often play near the dock, so that they could welcome their parents for their arrival. One day, Ruka stared out into the sea and from far away he could recognize the familiar outline of a ship. "Something is coming!" Ruka shouted excitedly. After a while, it became much more visible. There was two ships, one was their parents while the other was unfamiliar to them. They were so overjoyed,they were jumping up and down in excitement. Ruka and Natsume ran towards the ship, expecting their parents to get off. But instead they saw a man, they've seen the man before,he would often come to do business with their family.

"Ahoy..." the man greeted.

"What are ye doin' with our parents ship?!" Natsume shouted angrily.

The man went silent for a while until he said " I see..." "Me crew and I found this ship in the middle of the sea" he spoke quietly.

"...What are ye sayin?" Ruka voice cracked.

"When me crew went over to check,nobody was there..."

Natsume was still confused, he couldn't comprehend what the man was saying.

"Is there any adult I can talk to?" he questioned. Ruka and Natsume looked at each other, Ruka was already in tears. Natsume and Ruka decided to bring the man to Narumi.

They watched afar as Narumi spoke to the stranger. Narumi was clearly shocked. He went silent for a while and then started asking him questions. The man would just shake his head and repeat the words "I don't know". Before leaving,the man apologized while bowing his head slightly, Narumi just shook his hand while saying "No no ye did nothing wrong"

By the end of their conversation Ruka was still crying and Natsume kept a blank stare. Narumi approached them slowly, he was obviously disturbed by the news. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck while looking towards the ground. Then finally he spoke to them " Let's go home..."

(6 months later)

Ever since they're disappearance, Narumi began asking around, traveling to neighboring countries to see if they had heard or seen them. Finally he found a woman who had saw them before their disappearance. She said she saw them at a pub talking to two other people. One was a man while the other was a woman. She unfortunately couldn't remember their faces nor what they discussed, except something along the lines of mermaids cove.

"Mermaids cove..." Narumi mumbled to himself. The woman didn't give him a lot of information but there was no way he was going to just let it slide.

He hurriedly got back to Coralridge and gave himself two days to prepare his trip to mermaids cove. He gathered his crew and the supplies. When the ship was leaving he could see Ruka and Natsume waving goodbye by the dock. "I'll be back!" he shouted loudly.

X.x.x.x.

"Natsume! Natsume!" Ruka shouted while shaking him back and forth.

Natsume's eyes snapped open and he could feel beads of sweat roll down the side of his face. In front of him was Ruka who stared at him worriedly.

"What's wrong?" Ruka asked while he placed his hand on Natsume's shoulder. Natsume wiped away at the sweat on his forehead before saying " Nothing..." and then getting out of bed. Ruka guessed it was a bad dream but decided it was best to stay silent. Ruka waited until Natsume got dressed up.

"Let's go" he said.

x.x.x.x.

When Natsume and Ruka arrived at the pub, Narumi was already there, sitting in the same spot as yesterday. He appeared very haggard, almost as if he stayed up drinking.

"Have ye changed yer mind?" Ruka questioned.

"...If I say no, are ye still going to go?" Narumi asked.

"Well-"

"We don't need ye" Natsume said rudely while cutting off Ruka. Ruka quickly turned his head towards Natsume and elbowing him on the arm. "Natsume!" he shouted.

"I'm sorry..." Narumi spoke quietly. Ruka turned his attention back to Narumi, and even Natsume had sat up straight from his seat.

"I couldn't find yer parents... I apologize" Narumi said while bowing his head to the point that his forehead was touching the table.

"Why didn't ye come back?" Natsume said his expression holding a lot of anger.

"I was ashamed... everybody from me crew died except me, on top of that I couldn't even find yer family"

"can ye tell us what happened?" Ruka asked.

Narumi glanced at the both of them before looking down at his lap.

x.x.x.x.

"Cap'n Narumi! We're here" one of Narumi's crew members shouted. Narumi kicked his leg over the side of the ship and began climbing down using a rope net attached to the side.

"This here be mermaids cove?" He glanced around, it surely did look like a cove. It was a sheltered bay with rocky mountains,exotic plants and plently of grassland surrounding it.

"Where are them so called mermaids?" his crew began laughing. Narumi raised his hand making his crew silence.

"Smartly!(2) let's move forward!" Narumi spoke sternly, his leader instincts kicking in as he walked in front of them. They walked deeper inside the cove, passing through several trees and eventually passing a cave

"Cap'n, shall we check in here?"

Narumi observed the cave from outside. "Ahoy! anybody there?!" he shouted, his voice bouncing off the walls creating an echo. Narumi called out once more before deciding to pass it and continue to move forward. The crew followed Narumi but one of his members decided to peek inside one more time, he then heard a voice call out. "Help!" A voice of a woman.

"Hey! I can hear a lass callin out!" one of them said, catching the attention of two other members while the rest kept walking. The curious memebers walked back to the cave and called out "Ahoy there!"

"Please, help me!" the voice called out crew members glanced at each other. "Lets save her" "We need cap'n first" "What if she's dying, let's go" They began to argue. "Please come help me, I can't walk!" she cried out. Finally they decided to go inside the cave.

When Narumi finally realized his crew - originally six - turned into three, they were already so far from the cave.

"Eh? where is me crew?!" he shouted. The remaining bunch just shrugged their shoulders. "I think they stayed at the cave " one responded. "Blimey!(3)" Narumi scratched the back of his head. " Let's head back and get those idiots"

When they arrived back at the cave they were no where to be found.

"Ye think they went inside cap'n?" Narumi sighed.

"Ye Idiots! come back here" Narumi shouted into the cave. But he heard no answer except his voice echoing once again. "They probably went back to the ship, I'll get them back, ye stay here" Narumi instructed before heading back to the ship.

The remaining crew members stood around as they were told. But all of a sudden they began hearing something. "Hey ye heard that?"

It was the sound of a woman singing. "hey...it's coming from the cave" "It's really beautiful...this song" one of them thought and began to unconsciously move into the cave. The next followed and then finally the last remaining member followed too.

"Hey they aren't -" Narumi spoke as he walked back to the front of the cave, but then stopped in his tracks when he realized they were gone as well. "What kind of game is this?"

Narumi was getting more and more frustrated. " Hide n seek, is it?" he spoke out loud. He began looking left and right, scanning the area for movement.

"No time for games!"

"CAP'N" one of them shouted, catching Narumi's attention.

"Step out! Ye scoundrel! We aren't here to play!"

"Help..." his voice suddenly sounding very weak. Narumi quickly ran inside the cave until he saw one of his crew members crawling his way back to the opening. Narumi ran to him, lifted him over shoulder as if his body was a bag of rice. Quickly he ran out of the cave and placed him down by the trees. Narumi examined him, his arm and leg was bleeding heavily and his clothes were ripped apart. "What...what happened?!" Narumi asked.

"Cap'n...they...they tried to pull us into the water..water inside the cave..." "who? who did?!" Narumi shouted, goosebumps forming on his arms with his heartbeat so fast as if he was running a marathon. "...Beautiful...mermaids" he said with his last final breath. Narumi became frozen, his arm stiffened as he held his crew member in his arms. Narumi finally gathered the courage to check for his pulse. He was indeed gone. Narumi was a loss for words, in only a few minutes he had lost all his crew members.

"I'm sorry..." his voice barely more than a whisper. Finally getting up he headed back to his ship. Devastation was clear on his face, he couldn't comprehend what happened, but he knew, in the state he was in, he could not go back home.

x.x.x.x

"I lost them...I led them to their death" Narumi spoke as his hands were now buried into his hands. Ruka and Natsume stared at the pitiful man in front of them. " Narumi..." Ruka called out gently. "Ye didn't do anything wrong old man" Natsume said, trying to comfort the man. The sudden change of heart even shocked Ruka. "I forgive you" Natsume said."Me too..." Ruka followed. Narumi finally took his face out of his hands and stared at them. His face held an expression of relief, like all this time he needed this closure. "Thank ye..."

x.x.x.x

By the time Natsume and Ruka arrived, Mikan had already finished cleaning the deck.

"Ye missed a spot" Natsume pointed out to her.

Mikan glared at him but her eyes turned towards the man beside him. Even Narumi had taken notice of her.

"Ahoy, me name is Narumi" Narumi greeted. Mikan nodded her head slightly.

"What's a lass doin on yer ship?" Narumi whispered in Natsume's ear.

"Lass?" Ruka turned to look at Natsume.

"Heh...lass? this is Jack" Natsume answered.

Narumi didn't seem convinced. " I know a lass when I see one" while walking closer to Mikan and observing her, studying her.

"Oh...I assure ye, this here is all man" he said while walking towards Mikan and placing his arm around her shoulder. She watched him warily as he moved next her and immediately stiffened under his touch. She wanted to get his dirty hands off of her. When she thought it was already bad as it was, her eyes widened and her breath stopped when she felt a hand patting her in the chest area.

"As flat as a wooden plank!" he said smugly.

"Is that so...my apologizes lad" said Narumi appearing convinced. Mikan turned to look at Natsume in the eyes and so did he, both of them giving each other fake smiles.

'Get your dirty hands off of me' she thought.

'You better not get caught' he thought. It was as if they were communicating through their eyes.

"Well…we should get a move on" said Ruka. Natsume finally took his arm off of her shoulder. Mikan quickly cleaned off her clothes as if he had dirtied her, wiping her shoulder like there was dust on it. Natsume walked away with a smug expression on his face.

x.x.x.x

"Don't worry Mikan…I'll find you soon enough" Tsubasa spoke out loud.

* * *

(1) Fictional place, another name I made up. This was also the place they stopped over in chapter 3

(2)Meaning quickly

(3) A term used when frustrated

* * *

Hey guys :) so as promised I tried to update before the end of the week. This chapter was a little longer compared to others, it was also a little bit more serious so I tried to add some fun near the end, and yes to answer some of your questions there will be mermaids in this story :)

My next update...not sure yet, so be sure to check my profile every once in a while and i'll put a date there.

until next time ;) REVIEW PLEASE :)


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